Bring vacant houses back into use appeal

THERE were 114 expressions of interest in the council’s new Repair and Lease scheme.

Senior housing officer Padraig O’Gorman told the monthly meeting of Wexford County Council that 43 units were deemed unsuitable and Wexford County Council is engaging with the owners of the remaining 71 units which are at various stages of being brought back into use.

‘Eleven homes have been refurbished through the Repair and Lease scheme in 2018 and a further ten homes acquired through the Buy and Renew Scheme, two of which have been refurbished and tenanted and the remainder will come on stream in 2019.’

A pilot project was carried out in the autumn with onthe-ground inspections in four specific parts of the county to ascertain the validity of vacant homes data. Mr O’Gorman said according to the CSO there were 155 vacant units, but in reality 81 were vacant. Inspectors found that of the 81, there was no possibility of future use for 43 of the units, nine were derelict, one was dangerous and there was the possibility of use for 28 units. ‘The Vacant Homes Strategy identified that there were 110 vacant social housing units, and of these 78 were brought back into use in 2018. Works are under way on a further 22 units.’

Mr O’Gorman said there are around ten properties which are in need of significant investment as they have fire and other damage issues.

Cllr Paddy Kavanagh asked why 41 applications were refused for the Repair and Lease scheme and was told by Mr O’Gorman that they require more than €40,000 to bring them back into use, with title issues also a factor in some.

Cllr Kavanagh said many people are not aware of the scheme. Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy enquired about the 43 houses which are deemed not fit for further use, while Cllr Tom Forde asked how long a property has to be vacant before it is designated vacant by the council.

Mr O’Gorman said the council can carry out repairs up to €8,000 on properties.

‘Beyond that it’s classified as void so we make an application to the department. Last year we did 45 voids,’ adding that the council will get approval in June for further work on more ‘voids’.

CEO Tom Enright said county managers across the country have raised the need to speed up work on vacant buildings. ‘It’s a shame to see them lying there waiting to get approval to bring them back into use.’

Cllr Forde said a lot of value has been added to many of the houses when tenants fit kitchens for example.

Mr O’Gorman said council staff have seen many cases where unauthorised work on houses has caused major damage.

County architect Shay Howell said: ‘I have walked into houses where there is an attic conversion and they can be death traps. They would cut timbre out of the roof to make space for a room.’

Cllr Ger Carthy asked why the council had only recently hired a quantity surveyor and was told by Director of Services for Housing, John Carley that the department decide to add to its team, adding that consultants did the work previously.